Daryl Gurney will join an illustrious list of players to have graced the O2 when he takes part in the Premier League Play-Offs on Thursday night and we take a look at how previous debutants have fared in the competition.
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Gurney if he wins will become the fourth player to win the title on their debut with Phil Taylor, Gary Anderson and Michael van Gerwen all winning on their first appearance. He will though reach a different milestone.
Taylor, Van Gerwen and Anderson won on their overall debut while Gurney has had a previous campaign so in theory he could become the first player in Premier League history to win the league on play-off debut having previously had a run in the tournament.
Colin Lloyd, Terry Jenkins, James Wade, Mervyn King, Peter Wright and Michael Smith are six players who have finished runner-up in their first play-off run.
The other nine have finished as losing semi-finalists meaning that Gurney has an even chance of making it going on past form.
Gurney though faces a tough route through if he is to claim a first Premier League crown with Michael van Gerwen standing in his way first.
Click here to follow the live-scores during the play-offs of the Premier League Darts 2019.
Play-Offs - Thursday May 23
The O2, London
Semi-Finals
Michael van Gerwen v Daryl Gurney
Rob Cross v James Wade
Final
Van Gerwen/Gurney v Cross/Wade
https://twitter.com/OfficialPDC/status/1130805109565394945
Taylor, Van Gerwen and Anderson won on their overall debut while Gurney has had a previous campaign so in theory he could become the first player in Premier League history to win the league on play-off debut having previously had a run in the tournament.
Colin Lloyd, Terry Jenkins, James Wade, Mervyn King, Peter Wright and Michael Smith are six players who have finished runner-up in their first play-off run.
The other nine have finished as losing semi-finalists meaning that Gurney has an even chance of making it going on past form.
Gurney though faces a tough route through if he is to claim a first Premier League crown with Michael van Gerwen standing in his way first.
Click here to follow the live-scores during the play-offs of the Premier League Darts 2019.
Play-Offs - Thursday May 23
The O2, London
Semi-Finals
Michael van Gerwen v Daryl Gurney
Rob Cross v James Wade
Final
Van Gerwen/Gurney v Cross/Wade
https://twitter.com/OfficialPDC/status/1130805109565394945
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- She is a professional. If darts is her income, she is a professional. Same as Adrian Lewis, Martin Adams. A tour card just means someone can play on the PDC tour. You could even make a case that Clayton wasn't a professional (until recently I believe) because he had employment elsewhere.BandB04-11-2026
- She's technically not a professional though as she doesn't hold a pro tour card.mr-pablo04-11-2026
- Such a shame that lakeside has been reduced to this. Fantastic venue,and previously a great tournament. Not any morerick6703-11-2026
- Seems to me that the top 16 players pick and choose whatever they want to play. Good,all the money will get spread out more. They get more money from exhibitions than tournaments so let them all withdrawrick6703-11-2026
- Play all legs and the winners split the pot. Luke gets the lot of he wins them all. If your occupation is darts player you can't enter, regardless of ability.BandB01-11-2026
- I'm quite a jaded person all things considered, but to be honest I found Beat Luke Littler to be pretty entertaining. It certainly wasn't seamless, which is to be expected given the lack of precedence, but I actually think the pacing was pretty good, the production was impressive, and there was a good sense of humour and levity to it. I think it was a very ambitious undertaking but one that, for the most part, paid off. I liked the system with the four pots and I think it added to the drama and intrigue. I enjoyed seeing the diverse range of entrants and learning about their backstories. I think the interactivity was pretty clever and well-integrated. The panel was a little incoherent at times; Lee Mack shone however, and his improvisational skills were appreciated during some more awkward interstitial moments. As far as the darts is concerned, it was a shame that the format didn't allow Littler to get into full flow. You obviously don't want him to steamroll everyone but you want to feel like you're getting the full Littler package rather than seeing him struggling to get out of first gear. I will say that his leg against Jayden Walker was very impressive, but it was mostly downhill from there. The attraction revolves around Littler being this untouchable, indomitable force, yet the format doesn't really allow him to fulfil that characterisation. As for Fallon Sherrock, she was mightily impressive and deserved the victory. It is a testament to her unshakeable character that she was able to bang in a 14-darter under such mind-bending pressure. Everything that has been said about the misleading marketing is valid, though they were clear about their eligibility criteria and were able to offload the responsibility somewhat by bringing the viewers into the decision-making process in real time. What is clear though, is that Fallon played the game according to the rules, and she should not be criticised for that, much less abused. I will admit though that it is a kick in the teeth for those true amateurs who committed time and money to the course, and I would also question those who think pub players would have no chance, given that some of Littler's winning legs were dispatched in 7 visits to the board! The great thing about darts is that it isn't so much that amateurs cannot replicate the feats of brilliance pulled off by professionals of the sport, than it is that they simply cannot replicate the consistency of their output, something that this format almost entirely removes from the equation. It should also be noted that, financially, Fallon certainly stands to benefit much less in relative terms from the paycheque than would your average pub thrower, as I'm sure she nets a fair income from the lucrative exhibition circuit alone. What I do hope is that she might use this as an opportunity to really build up a head of steam heading into the new season, as it seems long overdue that she come through Q-School and really take it to the pros on a week-in week-out basis, but whatever she chooses to do, she has certainly achieved enough already for one if not several lifetimes, so who am I to dictate terms? To conclude though, I will state once again that I found Beat Luke Littler to be a pretty enjoyable evening of entertainment. I do feel for the contestants who never actually had the chance to try their luck against the world #1, although I suppose it comes with the format, but all which inevitably raises the question: will Netflix be tempted to do it all again next year? It's hard to say. Whether it would be financially viable, I can't weigh in there. One point I have been making though, and which I touched on earlier, is that the entire concept relies on a public perception that Littler is more or less unbeatable, and that certainly hasn't been the case of late. If the execs had been trying to pitch the show in recent months while Littler has seemed vulnerable, rather than when he was mopping up almost every major title on the calendar, it would certainly be a tougher sell. We will have to see in about 6 months' time whether Littler can still reliably command perception as a near-unstoppable force in darts, and then we'll have a clearer idea about whether we should expect a second helping. Even as a one-off experiment though, and with all the controversy taken into account, I still don't think they disgraced themselves by any means, and that will probably be my lingering assessment of the event when all is said and done.Deduce635801-11-2026
- Fair play to Fallon. But...shows the mockery when a professional players wins what was meant to be an amateur v Pro event, Littlers performance was poor, and what about the players who didn't get a game? Would have been better if the pot was split amoungst all the winners and they all got a leg.BandB31-10-2026
- Not even slightly interestedrick6730-10-2026
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- No point in being there? Champions want to win.Deduce635828-10-2026